Inspirations

Referred to by readers as 'the World's most beautiful embroidery magazine', Inspirations is where you find the best classic hand embroidery by leading embroiderers throughout the world. Complemented with superbly styled photography and captivating stories, each issue brings a diverse collection of timeless projects from home wares and bags to gifts and accessories. A wide variety of embroidery techniques is presented with detailed and easy to follow instructions, step-by-step tutorials and full size patterns, making each issue a valuable resource for people new to embroidery and seasoned needleworkers alike.

FROM THE EDITOR

Morii • Meaning forest or jungle in Japanese, Morii can also infer an assembly of people.

Putting Kantha on the Map • “Cloth and embroidery form the patchwork of my earliest childhood memories. My mother, a prolific embroiderer, often told stories about Nani, my maternal grandmother, who grew up in Kolkata, Bengal, and who loved to embroider. Although I never met her in person, since she had passed away long before my birth, I got to know her through her stitches.”

Brenda Sortwell • “Looking back now over nearly eight decades, it seems to me that embroidery has been a part of my life for nearly that long.”

BETWEEN THE COVERS

DAFFODOWNDILLY • A welcome harbinger of spring and the end of dreary winter days, the vibrant daffodil greets the sun with its cheerful yellow petals and striking trumpet. Several different varieties are included in this delightful wreath, interspersed with other blooms including pansies, dianthus, lilac and tulips, celebrating the wonderful explosion of colour that warmer weather brings.

SPOTTED WOOD Kingfisher • A spectacular member of the kingfisher family, a group of small to medium-sized often vividly coloured birds, the spotted wood kingfisher (Actenoides lindsayi), can be found on five islands of the Philippines in tropical, lowland forests.

Aemilia Ars • An exquisite form of needlelace, also known as punto in aria or stitches in air, aemilia ars is heavily influenced by the lace worked during the Renaissance and focuses mainly on floral motifs.

Gardening with Gold • A formalised garden, or parterre, requires a carefully considered plan, appropriate materials and precise execution to obtain the best results, very much in the same manner as a piece of embroidery.

Honeycrisp Apple • ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ is a well-known phrase, originating in Wales in the nineteenth century, and while the real thing may be good for your health, this splendid example is a great place to keep your needles and pins.

Just Resting • A striking male superb fairy wren (MALURUS CYANEUS) and his more subtly coloured female friend rest on a barbed wire fence, surrounded by a field of long grass and pretty, white daisies.

Easter Surprise • Who doesn’t love a surprise and when it comes in a charming little box, decorated on each side with a pretty display of spring flowers like this one, who could ask for anything more?

THE MOTH

Inspirations

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